Meet Deb, one of our wonderful tutors.
Deb came to Weave looking for a way to use her skills as a teacher to give back to the community.
Read her short reflection on volunteering with Weave.
A mother to four children and a grandmother to four grandkids, Deb was looking for something new and different when she decided to stop full time work at the end of last year.
“What I’ve been trying to do in my retirement is to say “yes” to things that might be a little bit outside my comfort zone,” she says.
“All my life I had worked in independent schools, and I knew that the students there still had needs, definitely… but I also realised that they were a really privileged part of the community. So I always thought that I would like to do something in a broader slice of the community after I finished working.”
For Deb, volunteering with Weave’s tutoring program is a way to continue her love for teaching on her own terms.
“I was looking for somewhere that I could use my skills, but something that I felt was worthwhile and would put back into the community as well.”
– Deb is one of Weave’s wonderful tutoring volunteers
A big part of tutoring is building friendships between the student and the tutor, and Deb has found this to be one of the highlights of her experience.
“Working with my student is very rewarding. Over time we’ve developed a closer relationship,” she explains, adding:
“The relationship with the student, and seeing them learn and develop is good, but I think also just feeling part of a community that’s working together for each other is really nice.
“The staff from Weave have been good to get to know, and so have the other tutors. We have chats before and after the tutoring session — so it’s had benefits that I didn’t really expect,” she says.
“Everyone I’ve spoken is really professional and friendly, it has a bit of family feel about it which is really nice.
“I think very quickly I’ve been made to feel valued as a tutor and a volunteer.